Diabetes & Foot Care: Diabetic Foot Pain Problems & Treatment

Diabetes has been known to cause quite a trouble for your feet. There are cases of reduced blood flows during diabetes that cause a whole lot of difficult issues for the person. To be fair, having to go through the endearing pain is not a great sight to behold.

Diabetes and foot care are a closely related term as they bear much in the relation between them. We here would profile the thing for you in our today’s segment. We will be dealing with the diabetic foot problems and treatment procedures to that you can be aware of it beforehand.

Join in as we present to you, ‘Diabetes and Foot Care: Diabetic Foot Pain Problems & Treatment’.

Table of Contents

How does diabetes cause foot problems?

To let you know of the thing, both the major types of diabetes, i.e. Type 1 and Type 2 can cause severe damage to the blood vessels of the leg region. It also affects the peripheral nerves that govern the movement of the legs and feet.

Diabetes and Foot Care

There are two major conditions associated with foot problems in form of peripheral artery disease and peripheral neuropathy. These two raise the risks for foot-related problems in people suffering from diabetes. We’ll discuss both of these in brief in the next segment of ours.

What’s Peripheral Artery Disease and Peripheral Neuropathy?

Let’s seek details about them, then.

a) Peripheral Artery Disease (PAD)

It refers to the situation where the arteries outside heart and brain narrow or occludes because of atherosclerotic plaques. This is also referred to as the hardening of the arteries in common perspective.

The situation brings pain to the calf region during the workout and physical activities. The general symptoms include reduced levels of oxygen in the lower leg and feet region. The severity may lead to gangrene or tissue damage.

b) Peripheral Neuropathy

Here, the peripheral nerves get damaged as a result of diabetes and cause the lack of sensation in the nerves running between the feet and legs. There’s a decreased level of sensation right through the feet and legs which in turn causes the muscle areas in that affection region to work improperly.The severity will lead to misalignment of the feet’s pressure points.

The symptoms of foot problems as a result of diabetes

As we mentioned back in the above passage, foot problems may become severe if not handled properly which then tends to cause mishaps, gangrene and more. Here’s what the symptoms may showcase during the foot problems.

  • Fungal infections on nails which cause discolor, thickened and brittle nails.
  • Calluses and corns, which generally tends to occur as a result of misalignment in the feet area.
  • Bent toes as a result of muscle weakness.
  • Athlete’s foot, a kind of fungal infection.
  • Ingrown toenails.
  • Cracking of heels and feet.

The Treatment procedure

Generally, the treatment procedure is guided by the type of foot problem. For slightly less problematic cases, normal treatment may suffice whereas, for the extreme ones, a surgical procedure might need to be used. We’ll list out the treatment procedure as per the case down below-

  • Normal issues can be cured with help of proper orthotic footwear and brace.
  • Corns and mild infections can be treated via corrective shoes and antibiotics.
  • Gangrene require surgical treatments to prevent it from spreading far.
  • Amputation is the last resort in cases of severe gangrene.

Can foot problems be prevented?

A normal preventive measure would be to keep diabetes can your feet in check. You can help regulate your blood sugars so that diabetes is under control and can’t cause effects to the other regions of the body.

A proper diet, exercise, and guidance will work wonders for those seeking a prevention module against the foot problems arising because of diabetes. Here are 15 effective natural way to control your diabetes.

The Preventive advice

We’ll jolt down some pick advice that will work on your behalf and help you stay far away from the problems. Here are they-

  • Always opt for comfortable footwear that keeps your toe closed and not exposed. There are special shoes available to help you around if you want to cure bunions and more.
  • Always check that no infringements and objects are inside the shoe so as to stay away from cuts and bruises.
  • Never walk barefoot in any area. Always cover your feet with something to avoid the burns and more.
  • Wash your feet on a daily basis with warm water and dry them nicely.
  • You can apply lotions and moisturizers to your feet and heels to helps them moisten and be smooth.
  • Trim your nails on your toes at a timely interval and keep them clean.
  • Always look for any cuts, bruises, and sores on your feet.
  • Consult a doctor and let the doctor check your feet.

Foot problems do arise as a result of normal issues other than diabetes too. However, foot problems paired along with diabetes is a deadly duo. The normal conditions relating to diabetes can be cured but it’s the severe ones like gangrene that cause a whole lot of problems.

Always be aware of the things regarding diabetes and your feet. That way you can keep the problems at bay and leave a stress-free life. And not to forget, always seek a medical guidance on the case. Let your doctor know about it.

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